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Hardy banana plants for UK gardens, led by Musa basjoo — the toughest banana you can grow outdoors in Britain. Huge paddle-shaped leaves for exotic borders, statement pots and instant tropical drama, all fully hardy with a fleece wrap through the coldest months.
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Hardy bananas are the boldest single plant you can put in a UK garden. Musa basjoo is the workhorse: it dies back cleanly to ground level in a hard winter and re-sprouts vigorously each spring, reaching 2 to 3 metres of banana canopy in a single season. Given a fleece wrap on the pseudostem and a dry mulch on the crown, established basjoo plants come back reliably even after severe frost. Ensete ventricosum and Musella lasiocarpa are more tender but manageable as courtyard or container specimens. Read our honest guide to what to expect from hardy exotics through the seasons before ordering.
Hardy bananas anchor an exotic border, pair well with hardy palms and hardy bamboo, and make dramatic large-pot specimens. See the full Hardy Exotics range for companions.
Musa basjoo is the hardiest banana for UK gardens and is root hardy across most of the country. The top growth is knocked back by frost, but with the base protected over winter it reshoots strongly each spring.
After the first frosts, cut back or wrap the stem and pile dry straw or leaves around the base to protect the root. In cold areas wrap the whole stem, and move potted bananas into a frost-free shed or greenhouse.
Yes, bananas grow brilliantly in large pots and make superb patio and balcony plants. Container growing also lets you move the plant under cover for winter, so you can grow bananas even in colder gardens.
In the UK, hardy bananas like Musa basjoo are grown for their spectacular foliage rather than fruit. Our summers are rarely long and warm enough to ripen edible bananas outdoors, but the leaves are the real prize.
Give it a warm, sheltered, sunny spot with rich, moist soil and shelter from wind, which can tear the big leaves. Feed and water generously through summer to fuel its fast growth.
Nothing creates a jungle feel faster than a banana plant. The enormous paddle-shaped leaves bring height, drama and pure holiday atmosphere to a garden in a single season. Musa basjoo, the Japanese hardy banana, is the toughest of the lot and the backbone of many UK exotic gardens, and you will find it here alongside other hardy bananas.
A banana in a big pot is a brilliant patio or balcony plant, throwing up fresh, glossy leaves all summer to turn a small space into a tropical retreat. In a container you can move it under cover for winter, which makes growing bananas possible even in colder gardens or on an exposed balcony. Feed and water generously through summer, as bananas are hungry, thirsty plants.
In a border, give your banana a warm, sheltered, sunny spot with rich, moisture-retentive soil, and feed it well to fuel those big leaves. Shelter from wind matters, as strong gusts shred the foliage. With space and food, a hardy banana puts on remarkable growth from spring to autumn.
Musa basjoo is root hardy in most of the UK. After the first frosts, cut back or wrap the stem, pile straw or leaves around the base, and the plant will reshoot in spring. In very cold areas, or with more tender bananas, wrap the whole stem or move potted plants into a shed or greenhouse over winter.
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